William



(No Model.)

W. 0. GOTTWALS. BILL FILE.

No. 527,277. Patented 0039,- 1894.

UNITEMD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM O. GOTTVVALS, .OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

BILL-FILE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 527,277, dated Octo er9,1894.

Application filed May 2, 1894-.- Serial No. 509,815- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM O. GOTTWALS,

a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, who

have declared my intention to become a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bill-Files, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of billfiles which comprise afile-board and arches secured thereon and adapted to hold letters, billsand other papers by passing through perforations therein, said archesbeing composed of stationary arch-members, and movable arch-members, theseparation of these partsbeing adapted to permit the impaling or placingof papers on the arches.

It is the object of this invention to greatly 2o simplify and cheapenthe construction of the file, both by reducing the number of parts ofwhich it is composed and by so shaping the parts that they may readilybe manufactured with few operations.

To these ends an important feature of my invention consists in soshaping the spring which actuates the movable and oscillatingarch-members that it forms a concave bearing for the supporting-bar ofsaid members whereby the latter is held in place against the flat topsurface of the base-plate and the arch-members directed in theiroscillation, the said bar being at the same time formed with aneccentric or cam-portion which rests 3 5 upon said flat surface of thebase-plate and causes the spring to hold the arch-members in contact orapart.

Such being the general nature of my invention I have shown in theaccompanying draw- 0 ings means for carrying it into practical effectwithout limiting my improvements in their useful applications in theparticular constructions which, for the sake of illustration, I havedelineated.

In said drawings:-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of abill-file embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectionalview through one of the arches. Fig. 3 is a sectional View on a largerscale, on

line 33, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view with the parts in a differentposition. Fig. i is a perspective View of the movable archmembers. Fig.5 is a perspective view of one of the fixed arch members. Fig. 6 is aperspective view of the combined spring and bearing-plate for themovable member. Fig. 7 is a similar view of the base-plate.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a file board of wood, book-bindersboard, or other suitable material. To this board is secured a base-plate2 having perforations 3. Through the latter pass the stationaryarch-members 4, the lower ends of which have flat heads 5 adapted toengage and lie close upon the bottom of the base-plate.

6 indicates a film, sheet or body of solder overlying the head 5 andadhering to the bottom of the base-plate. This makes a very rigid anddurable fastening for the fixed archmembers, enabling a relatively thinbaseplate to be employed.

7, 7 are the movable arch-members, which are the straight impaling pinsor receiving wires as illustrated. These movable members are formed withor attached to a transverse rocking bar 8 which is provided with adownwardly extending cam or eccentric projection 9, preferably made byflattening said bar 8 on the under side. The projection 9 bears upon thebase-plate and causes the axis of the bar 8 to rise as the movablearch-members are rocked.

10 is a spring plate, secured to the baseplate by screws, bolts orrivets 11 and bent to form a transverse bearing 12. The latter isadapted to receive the bar 8 and is lifted thereby as the bar turns andits axis rises as aforesaid. The pressure of the spring-bearingconsequently tends to keep the flat face of said bar in engagement withthe baseplate, or as nearly so as may be, in which position of the bar 8the ends of the movable arch-members are in place against the ends ofthe corresponding fixed members. When the bar 8 is turned to carry themovable members suificiently away from the fixed members, the projectionor edge will be directly between the axis of the bar 8 and the baseplateand upon what may be termed the dead center, and will be so held by thepressure of the bearing 12 without tendency to move in either direction.I prefer to cause the movable arch-members to stop readily in thisposition by forming in the base'plate a transverse groove 13, into whichthe edge 9 will come when the arches have been sufficiently separated. Astop may also be formed, in conjunction with or without the use of thegroove 13 by forming the plate 10 with portions or stops 14, situated infront of the lower ends of the movable arch-members and adapted toarrest the latter when sufficiently opened. The result is convenientlyattained by perforating or notching the plate 10 at the ends of thebearing 12, as shown at 15, through which perforations or notches saidarch-members are passed as'the parts are assembled.

By the above described construction, I have lessened the necessary partsof the device without impairingits efficiency,'an'd caused the bearingplate which contains the transverse axis of the movable arch-members tofurnish the spring pressure for the control of such members. A greateconomy in the and constituting the transfer wires, movable arch-membersconstituting the receiving or filing wires, a transverse rock-shaftflattened on its under side to form an eccentric portion which acts onthe top of said plate and carrying said movable arch-members, and aspring formed with a concavity on its under side, secured on the top ofsaid plate over the rockshaft and engaging the upper side of the latterin said concavity to form an upwardly yielding bearing for the shaft,substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twowitnesses. WILLIAM O. GOTTWALS. Witnesses:

H. N. Low, CHAS. W. PARKER.

